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Galvanized steel pipe for rails?

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mmallender.
Posts: 5805 - Karma: 936
so i have some galvanized steel piping that i would like to use for a rail, has anyone ever used it before? how does it slide?
Oct 27 2008 1:36AM
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miralas
Posts: 584 - Karma: 10
its a tuff call. never actually tried it but assuming its fence railing the walls r probably to thin. it would probably just bend and dimple all over the place. plus galvon is just a coating so u should be able to grind/sand it off...
Oct 27 2008 11:51PM
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mmallender.
Posts: 5805 - Karma: 936
haha the thickness is not an issue, we somehow got two galvanized stop sign posts...... and yeah we started looking into it more and you can use sulfuric acid to chemically remove the coating, we just need to find some sulfuric acid, and find out exactly how to do it without ruining the rails/ourselves haha
Oct 28 2008 2:45AM
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ajax
Posts: 2850 - Karma: 1,236
I would say that might be kinda sketch, but I have never tried it myself. I could vision the metal sliding if it were iced over and really cold, but it just kinda seems like it would be sticky if warm. Good luck with the acid though, that might work
Oct 28 2008 3:13AM
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mmallender.
Posts: 5805 - Karma: 936
ill let you know how it works when we finish, and ill post some pics when its all done
Oct 28 2008 3:20AM
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SK1ERDUDE
Posts: 1365 - Karma: 51
I bought galvanized steel pipes for my rail i built and it works really well.
At first i bought emc conduit which sucked. i don't know what i was thinking.
Oct 28 2008 6:46AM
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mmallender.
Posts: 5805 - Karma: 936
did you have to remove the galvanized coating or anything?
Oct 28 2008 6:54AM
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SK1ERDUDE
Posts: 1365 - Karma: 51
no
it slides really well
Oct 28 2008 5:39PM
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steevner
Posts: 4502 - Karma: 47
make sure to grind before you weld. Welding galvanized metal = carcinogenic I'm pretty sure
Oct 28 2008 11:29PM
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miralas
Posts: 584 - Karma: 10
yea bro. at work my boss get crazy when i got a galvonized project. we turn on all our vents, open all doors and i have to wedge a resporator in my helmet. shits crazy bad for u. if ur longs start to feel heavy, its a good time to call it quitsy's. also old myth is if u drink a glass of milk before u weld it helps stop the fumes from stickin to ur asophygus or some shit. not sure if thats true or not...
Oct 29 2008 12:55AM
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mmallender.
Posts: 5805 - Karma: 936
alright ill keep that in mind. thanks! more ++karma haha
Oct 29 2008 12:55AM
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i.ski.troll.
Posts: 4692 - Karma: 245
grinding before you weld will do shit. dont weld it.  my dad knows people who have died
Oct 29 2008 6:40PM
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mmallender.
Posts: 5805 - Karma: 936
shiiit thanks thats sort of good to know haha. i guess well drill through the sides and then bolt them together (we have two that we are going to put side by side)
Oct 29 2008 6:48PM
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miralas
Posts: 584 - Karma: 10
dude just cuz people died doesnt mean there isnt safe ways to weld it. its only been a recent discovery( not to sure so ill say 10 yrs?) that galvon will poison u. if u do it how i said i do it. u'll be fine. im a welder for a livin. i know a little about what im talkin about...
Oct 29 2008 8:34PM
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A.R.
Posts: 1111 - Karma: 11
you cant weld it btw. it lets off very toxic fumes.
Oct 31 2008 9:39PM
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C.Wood
Posts: 2524 - Karma: 180
welding galvanized is pretty discusting.
but it should work

put your welds where there isnt gonna be sliding and put tremclad rust paint to protect or the weld will just rust
Nov 12 2008 8:28PM
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miralas
Posts: 584 - Karma: 10
word. and for some reason it blows holes easier and makes crazy nasty sounds the hole time u weld it. def keep the weld away from sliding areas.
Nov 12 2008 8:39PM
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C.Wood
Posts: 2524 - Karma: 180
most of the time the holes have to do with the thickness of material and settings of machine but then chemicals in it aredirt.
i welded a navigation light post last year for my lake at me cottage. that stuff was so bad to breathe in, couldnt weld for long because of the fumes
Nov 12 2008 8:55PM
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T_orageskiier
Posts: 580 - Karma: 13
wax it and it will work
Nov 15 2008 3:13PM
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mmallender.
Posts: 5805 - Karma: 936
the pipe we're using is quite thick, around 1/4 inch thick id say...... man i had to re word that a few times before i got it so i didnt have to call no homo
Nov 15 2008 3:41PM
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C.Wood
Posts: 2524 - Karma: 180
yeah so if the wall thickness on the pipe is 1/4" then just set the welding machine for a lower setting say 1/8" or 12 gauge is how the machines are usually set up. since it is not entirely a strength weld then you can just go a bit slower and get good penetration of the metal and you will be fine
Nov 16 2008 10:44AM
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mmallender.
Posts: 5805 - Karma: 936
awesome, thanks
Nov 16 2008 3:40PM
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